Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Real Faith"

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

These words remind us about the importance of faith. Advent is about eagerly anticipating what is coming; yet it is rooted in what has already come. We can trust that God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ is truly free and is for us. And because God, the Holy Spirit, gives us Christ’s forgiveness and salvation through faith, He is called the “God of hope.”

This Advent we may eagerly anticipate celebrating of Jesus’ birth, but the celebration itself should not be what fills us with joy and peace. What fills us with God’s joy is that our Savior has already come and has won our salvation, and that He is coming again to bring our salvation to its ultimate fulfillment.

Until Jesus comes back for His second (final) coming, we live by faith through an extended Advent season. We trust that just as God has kept His promise in Christ’s first Advent, so He will also keep His promise of a glorious reunion with Jesus. This faith is what fills us with joy and peace as we hope for Christ’s coming. Because God is trustworthy, our hope is absolutely certain and true; therefore we are filled with joy and peace … right now.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, thank You for bringing joy to us in the world. May we delight in the peace that comes through the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.

These devotions have been written by Rev. Paul and Kaye Wolff. Rev. Paul Wolff is a 1996 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He has served as a pastor in the Detroit area for 10 years. He and co-author wife, Kaye, live in Southfield, Michigan.

Kaye Dumas Wolff is Chairperson of the Black Ministry Church Planting Task Force and a Mission Affiliate of LCMS World Missions where she serves as a training facilitator for laity in evangelism and mission work. Kaye serves on the Advisory Council of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and she is a presenter for Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Equipping to Share Workshop.

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